(Radio Iowa) – The U-S House Biofuels Caucus is introducing legislation to make it clear the E-P-A has the authority to allow year-round sales of E-15 and higher blends of ethanol. The bill would overturn a recent federal circuit court ruling that the E-P-A didn’t have the power to take that step. Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines is co-chair of the House Biofuels Caucus.

“We’re going to get language changed and codified,” Axne says, “so that we don’t see any more of these court decisions based, really, off of old information.” The other Iowans serving in the U-S House — Ashley Hinson of Marion, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa and Randy Feenstra of Hull — have signed onto the bill as co-sponsors. Axne says adverse court rulings, like the one earlier this month that derailed year-round E-15 sales, are based on information about ethanol that’s four decades old.

“These decisions are being based on old science and how ethanol first started or how biofuels first started, but they’re still making decisions on expansions or selling more of it based on those old scientific pieces of information,” Axne says. “That’s not relevant anymore and it’s strapping us from being able to get into markets that we need to get into.” Axne cites a recent study which found using ethanol in a vehicle cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 46 percent and biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent.

“We’ve been so strapped by old science and old laws. That’s really been one of the biggest problems and if we can get that changed, it will really open things up,” Axne says. Automakers have been announcing plans to produce more electric vehicles, with G-M planning to have 40 percent of its models be electric by 2025 and Ford aiming to offer electric versions of all its models by 2030. Axne says the conversion to electric vehicles isn’t happening overnight and the biofuels industry is the best way — now — to address air quality concerns in gas-powered vehicles.

“Our biofuels industry is ready and willing to go and if we can get the policies in place, we’ll get this across the country and start literally impacting the climate issues that we’re facing and put money in Iowans’ pockets,” Axne says. Congressman Feenstra says selling E-15 year-round not only benefits farmers and the ethanol industry, it gives consumers a more affordable option at the gas station and is the cleanest form of liquid fuel on the market.

(Radio Iowa) – The numbers for planes, trains, and automobiles continue to show a rebound in traffic following drops during the COVID pandemic. The Department of Transportation’s Stuart Anderson gave a report on highway traffic today (Tuesday) to the state Transportation Commission. “We are continuing to be really close to pre-pandemic levels. Our June numbers were at one percent below the June of 2019 levels,” Anderson says.

Anderson says there is still some impact from workers telecommuting.”I think on some of our really heavy commuter routes traditionally — those are lagging some more than some of our other routes,” according to Anderson.  He cites the I-235 route through Des Moines as an example where numbers are lower as some businesses haven’t returned to in-person work. He says the most recent air travel numbers reflect the recovery. “The May numbers grew pretty healthfully from April. We are actually at about 70 percent of the May 2019 level,” Anderson says. “And I think some of the numbers that we get from T-S-A looking at throughput at our commercial service airports in Iowa indicate that we are going to see a lot more growth as we get the June numbers and then July. I think this is rebounding faster than expected.”

Anderson says freight traffic has also rebounded. He says the rail freight traffic hasn’t fully recovered in part because of the situation with cars and trucks are not being shipped as heavily right now.

(Radio Iowa) – The man convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts won’t be sentenced tomorrow (Thursday) after all. Defense attorneys for Cristhian Bahena Rivera have filed additional motions. Earlier this week, defense attorneys filed a motion after an inmate at the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility claimed a second inmate told him that -he- killed Mollie Tibbetts in Brooklyn in July 2018 and planned to dump her body near a Hispanic man to make the Hispanic man appear guilty. In an additional motion filed Tuesday night, this second inmate claims he saw Tibbetts bound and gagged at a trap house — a place where illegal drugs are sold.

The new defense motion also refers to 50-year-old James Manuel Lowe, who allegedly ran a trap house in New Sharon. Defense attorneys Chad and Jennifer Frese say they have learned that Lowe had dated Sarah Harrelson of Montezuma. She’s the mother of 11-year-old Xavior Harrelson, who has been missing since May 27. The Freses claim that prosecutors suppressed evidence and there should be a new trial for Bahena Rivera. That motion will be heard Thursday morning in Montezuma. Judge Joel Yates has put Bahena Rivera’s sentencing on hold after the hearing on a motion for a new trial.

In an update to our Adair County Sheriff’s report on Monday, the Union County Sheriff’s Office today (Wednesday) said 43-year-old Niels Curtis Mikkelsen, of Orient, was arrested July 4th by an Adair County Deputy in Union County, for Operating a vehicle While Intoxicated, following an investigation into an accident. His preliminary breath test (PBT) registered .153, or nearly twice the legal limit for intoxication.

Authorities say Mikkelsen was driving a 2014 Dodge RAM bucket truck registered to Alliant Energy/Interstate Power and Light, when he failed to maintain control while traveling westbound on 110th Street a little before 2-a.m. The truck entered the north ditch and struck the backside of an unoccupied 1993 Toyota pickup that was parked in the ditch. The pickup is registered to John Weeks, of Orient.

Damage to the pickup was estimated at $8,000. The bucket truck sustained approximately $7,000 damage.

A rollover accident between Exira and Hamlin Tuesday night resulted in two juveniles being transported to the hospital for treatment of unknown injuries. Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson said the Sheriff’s Department received a call about a rollover accident at around 9:35-p.m. in the 2,500 block of Highway 71. When Deputies arrived, they found the vehicle – a 2005 Chevy Impala – on its top in the ditch. Audubon and Exira Fire and Rescue responded to the scene and transported the juveniles to the hospital.

The Sheriff says it’s believed the vehicle was traveling left of center on Highway 71, when the driver over-corrected, causing the car to go out of control. Additional details are currently not available.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office is asking for your help in locating a man who ran from law enforcement during a traffic stop at around 2-a.m. today (Wednesday). Deputies conducted the traffic stop on a 2013 Dodge Avenger, at Lambert Ave & 190^th Street in Pacific Junction. While the deputy was conducting their traffic stop with the female driver, the male passenger identified as 27 year old JACOB ERIC STONER, of Council Bluffs, jumped into the driver’s seat and stole the vehicle before fleeing from deputies and heading into Nebraska.

Jacob Eric Stoner (Mills Co/ S/O photos)

Stoner is wanted by Mills County authorities with numerous charges. If you have information on STONER, please contact your local law enforcement office or the Mills County Sheriff’s Office at (712) 527-4871.

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters are warning Iowans about the potential one-two punch of severe summer storms today (Wednesday). Meteorologist Craig Cogil, at the National Weather Service, says wide sections of the state have already seen heavy rain and large hail move through this morning. “As we head into this afternoon, we’re going to see some redevelopment across northern Iowa and a lot of these storms could be severe,” Cogil says. “Right now, the main concern is from damaging straight line winds and large hail. There may be an isolated tornado or two but again, straight line winds are the main concern.” Despite the long-running drought, street flooding could become a threat with today’s downpours.

“The main flooding concerns are more in urban areas, not so much out in the countryside,” Cogil says. “Certainly, higher rainfall rates in urban areas can cause localized street flooding or maybe flash flooding but generally, out in the countryside, things have been dry enough so far this year that I don’t think it would cause any widespread issues.” This past Friday, parts of western and central Iowa were battered by hail as large as baseballs. Cogil says the forecast should begin to calm down by early tomorrow.

“It looks like the front is going to settle down into southern Iowa on Thursday,” Cogil says. “Still some thunderstorms across the southeast half of the state on Thursday, but it doesn’t look like any severe weather with that.” High temperatures across Iowa today should be anywhere from the low 70s to around 90 degrees.

(Updated 12:30-p.m.) (Radio Iowa) – The Jasper County Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed a resolution declaring rural and unincorporated areas of the county a “Second Amendment Sanctuary.” It bars city or county employees in Jasper County from enforcing state or federal mandates that infringe on gun rights in those areas. Jasper County Board of Supervisors Chairman Doug Cupples says the resolution changes nothing now and would only kick in if state or federal gun restrictions go into effect. “What we are saying is that if the state or federal government is going to enforce those laws, they are the ones that are going to have to come enforce them,” he says. “One is for the resources, that would be part of it, but also for the safety of the people of Jasper County.”

Jasper County Supervisor Brandon Talsma says banning any type of firearm is an infringement on gun rights. He also cites so-called “red flag” laws that lets police or family members get a court order to temporarily remove weapons from someone who may be a danger to themselves or others.  “It does away with your right to be able to face an accuser. It does away with your right to jury by your peers,” he says, “and further it completely does away with the entire premise that our judicial system was set up upon which is you’re innocent until proven guilty and instead it says you are guilty until you are able to prove your innocence.”

The supervisors held a public hearing before their unanimous vote before becoming the first county in Iowa to adopt the policy. One resident said it was an important pre-emptive move as the Biden Administration pushes for new gun laws. Others said there was no need for the resolution. Republican supervisors in Hardin County did the same Wednesday (today). Jasper and Hardin are the first Iowa counties to implement such measures. Elsewhere in the U.S., at least 1,200 local governments have declared themselves sanctuaries insulated from state and federal gun laws since 2018. An ordinance passed in Columbia County, Oregon, last year is the first to face a legal challenge over whether it can be enforced.

With Ric Hanson.

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(Iowa DNR News) – The Iowa DNR has developed an online mapping application to help visitors navigate trails in state parks. Through GPS and mobile data, the application can be accessed on mobile phones and helps the user identify trail names, trail heads, acceptable trail use (i.e. hiking, biking, etc.), and distances. The application is web-based rather than downloadable from an app store, so data service availability could be a factor when using the trail map application. To access trail maps, go to iowadnr.gov/stateparks and click on Iowa State Park Trails.